Ceasefire starts as members of violent groups sit down with those urging different path

Community members bow their heads and pray in Allen Temple Baptist Church last month as religious leaders ask for more involvement in reducing street violence and rally for Ceasefire.

Twenty people from fifteen of the most violent groups in Oakland gathered in one room a week ago Thursday, as city officials, law enforcement, and community members appealed to them to stop shooting as part of the city’s latest violence prevention effort.

The private meeting, described for reporters in a news conference this week, officially kicked off Oakland’s new version of Operation Ceasefire, a nationally renowned violence prevention strategy that targets a small number of violent offenders in the city and offers them a choice: stop the violence and receive community support, or bring your gang or clique focused attention from law enforcement and the justice system.

Officials invited the 20 individuals to the meeting, where they delivered that message in the presence of family members, clergy, and law enforcement, said Oakland police lieutenant Leronne Armstrong, one of the department’s Ceasefire leaders. All 20 showed up, said Armstrong, who attended the meeting. To protect the individuals’ anonymity, he declined to disclose exactly where the meeting took place, but said it was at a neutral location like a church, recreational center, or library.